My Friend Charlie: A Book for Young Readers and Dog Lovers

by Scott MacDonald

Overview

My Friend Charlie is a picture and cartoon book for young readers and dog lovers. Each cartoon figure represents a key lifestyle recommendation such as Enjoy the Day, Be Curious, Learn from Others and Be Yourself. The cartoons are followed by pictures of Charlie demonstrating the lifestyle. Charlie is a darling Cavalier King Charles puppy. Page spreads are color coordinated representing beautiful poses and backgrounds. It will be difficult not to fall in love with the photogenic Charlie. Charlie will most likely become a child's good friend, and he or she will learn important lessons as they reread the cartoon captions and Charlie's advice.

There are also family pictures showing Charlie with family members and five hilarious dog related cartoons guaranteed to make the reader laugh, whether an adult or child.

The book was intended for children from pre-school to ten years old, but anyone may enjoy the colorful characters and the unsurpassed joy of Charlie depicted in the many photographs.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798985816235
Publisher:	del Mar Publishing LLC
Publication date:	04/01/2023
Pages:	50
Product dimensions:	8.00(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.13(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Scott MacDonald was a successful corporate executive and was CEO or President of several real estate or property companies before retiring. He was born near Chicago, Illinois and grew up in a family headed by his single mother and with limited funds. During his long career, he worked with investors on assignments throughout the world. He is a philanthropist, setting up scholarships at several universities for need-eligible students under the MacDonald Scholars program. He has written four books previously and had several articles and essays published. His wife, Pat Kurtz, is a long time school teacher, administrator and principal. Scott has four grandchildren and has been around dogs most of his life. A previous book, Think like a Dog, How Dogs Teach us to be Happy in Life and Successful at Work, was published by Indiana University Press. His current dog, Charlie, is a Cavalier King Charles and is the subject of this children's book. Scott MacDonald's website with more information is Authorscottmacdonald.com.

Editorial Reviews

2023-06-17
Adorable photographs and clever cartoons combine in this book of life advice from MacDonald and his dog.

A brief introduction, signed by MacDonald and his spouse, Patti, explains that the two humans have learned a lot from Charlie, their Cavalier King Charles spaniel. MacDonald and Charlie offer sage words of wisdom, geared toward young readers but equally applicable to adults. Each two-page spread features large text with themes like, “Be curious,” accompanied by an original comic illustration by Bucella and followed by a photo of Charlie and his insight (“You can never know too much”). Some of the pages go together well: Advice to look for treats includes an image of Charlie standing on hind legs at the vet, requesting an extra biscuit. Other spreads use contrasting themes and images. The short, plain text includes accessible vocabulary (featuring challenges like knowledgeand understanding), making this a good choice for emergent readers. Bucella’s comedic illustrations enhance the text, and additional “Far Side”–style comics appear as bonus extras on the endpapers. But the real star is Charlie, who looks soft and snuggly in his photos. Most of the photographs of Charlie are edited to eliminate the original context and placed on a minimalist, illustrated background; the most successful images are those that include more detail.

A sweet, short-sentenced book made for young dog lovers seeking life advice.

Kirkus Reviews